A firm of York architects is contributing towards a multi-billion pound project to design an entire city in China.

The proposed new conurbation called Tuan Bo City is one of three contracts won by DSP Architects to provide concept designs for the Chinese authorities, including a 2.5 sq kilometre auto retail park and a 25,000 sq metre hotel.

Now the Chinese authorities are carefully examining the architectural vision for the new 136-square kilometre city, about 16 miles south of Tianjin drawn up by a delighted architect David Spencer and his 13-strong practice in St George's Place, York.

Mr Spencer, 52, has had a team based in Tianjin, near the Chinese capital, Beijing, for the past three months and the huge scale of the projects plus pressure of work in the UK meant that it had to "borrow" an architect from an associate Leeds-based practice, WSM Architects.

Returning after two weeks in China where he discussed and developed the schemes, Mr Spencer said today: "We are delighted. When we first heard we'd got the go-ahead after visiting China in the summer, we wondered what we were getting ourselves into, but we've never been ones to turn work down.

"It has given us all a huge lift. As a Yorkshire practice we don't get the opportunity to carry out conceptual design for a whole new city - let alone the other projects. It just does not happen!

"It is funny that we should find ourselves in this position when we have never really considered working in China and so many others have tried. We just happened to be recommended through someone whom I've known socially for several years."

If his plans for Tuan Bo City get the thumbs up, it will be based around a dried up lake which will be filled with 180 million cubic metres of water.

The practice's concept is to create an ecological city based - as the Chinese like their developments to have a story - on an evolutionary theme with life emerging from the recreated lake.

There will be different zones for forestry, wildlife, industrial and residential uses with an integrated transport policy catering for cars, buses and bicycles linked to ferries using the lake and a canal system. Part of the city and a theme park will be built upon artificial islands on the lake.

The auto retail park, part of a much bigger retail development, is going ahead. It will include units for dozens of different car retailers as well as exhibition halls, conference facilities, shops and a test track.

The 158-bedroom, 12-storey business hotel, which is a three-hour flight south of Tianjin, near Shanghai, will also feature individual rooms for long-term guests on the banks of a nearby river.

Mr Spencer, whose practice's previous biggest project was the £20 million simultaneous refurbishment of five supermarkets for Co-operative Retail Services, said that it was not etiquette to reveal details of his daily rate fee. "The fees are not the biggest we've had but we are excited about where it may all lead which could be very substantial in terms of both income and prestige," he said.

Russ Canning, a director with global multi-disciplinary development consultancy Scott Wilson, of Abingdon, which is working alongside DSP Architects on the schemes, says: "We're delighted that David and his team were recommended. It is good to be working with them."

Updated: 10:10 Tuesday, October 28, 2003